Document zQnbgYmmmxQokgyY6VODzVGm6

_,dward Howard 6Co. Public Relations Counsel Founded 1925 One Erieview Plaza. 7th Floor Cleveland, Ohio 44114-1716 (216)781-2400 Fax:781-8810 MEMORANDUM Date: July 27, 1993 To: Bob Burnett Meredith Scheck Pat Benkner From: Dave Meeker/Nora Jacobs Subject: Issues Management Program Action Report June 1993 Copies: VI Board of Directors VIGOR Issues Management Committee EH&Co. Issues Management Team The following are significant developments during the reporting period: VI Responds to ECVM's Analysis of Dioxin Factories -- As part of the ongoing effort to provide facts about Greenpeace's attack on vinyl, the VI issued an advisory to U.S. media to recount the European Council of Vinyl Manufacturers' (ECVM) analysis of Greenpeace's document, "Dioxin Factories: A study of the creation and discharge of dioxins and other organochlorines from the production of PVC." The advisory noted that Greenpeace had presented data in a misleading fashion, ignored published data that disproved its theories, incorrectly extrapolated lab-scale data to production-scale situations, drew conclusions from unrealistic calculations in order to cause unnecessary concern and confusion, and made basic errors in fact such as incorrectly locating a Rotterdam, Holland, plant in Cologne, Germany. A similar advisory will go out at the end of July regarding the recent decision by the Dutch Foundation for Publicity Codes, which found that the Dutch Ministry for Environmental Control could not substantiate its claims against vinyl. Partners Find New Ways to Communicate -- In an effort to minimize reporting work and simplify the tracking of the Vi's Partner's Program, each Partner has been sent a set of response post cards to use when making contacts on behalf of the program. The feedback cards can be quickly and easily filled out and returned, and will provide a simple way to track Partner activities and successes. As their final "assignments," VI Partners have been asked to make contacts with solid waste officials, water authorities. (Xlit r* iti (ALntn. C UiIuiiiIhiv ,iim! D.ivimi CTL006686 2- - fire chiefs, solid waste handling companies and schools. Another new addition to the Partners Program is the Parmer's newsletter, which will help Partners share successes, tips and ideas. The first issue of Partnerships should be in the mail soon. Concerned about Greenpeace? Let the Environmental Fact Kit Help You -- The Vi's rebuttal to Greenpeace's "PVC: Toxic Waste in Disguise" brochure has been reprinted and is available for your use. Nearly 1,000 advance copies have already been distributed to VI members and customers. If you are interested in obtaining a single copy of the kit, please contact VERCE at 1-800-969-VINYL (8469). Otherwise, kits are available in sets of 25 for $50. Second Edition of the Recycled Products Directory Now Available -- The Vinyl Institute's work to encourage vinyl recycling is paying off! The second edition of the Directory of Companies Manufacturing Products From Recycled Vinyl, listing 58 companies -- 11 more than the first edition -- is now available. Complimentary copies (100) were sent to VI Executive Board members who were asked to distribute them to their sales force, purchasing agents, and others within their organizations. Additional copies are available for $.75 each from Michelle McDonough at VERCE, 1-800-969VINYL (8469). Responding to Media Inaccuracies -- As part of the effort to correct misleading or incorrect information about vinyl in published articles, clarification letters were sent to The Gazette, a daily newspaper in Quebec, and to CBMT-TV, also in Quebec, regarding toxicity issues and the Plastibec Ltee, a vinyl blind manufacturer, plant fire. The letter to The Gazette was printed in full in the paper's June 17 issue. Another letter was sent to the Salina Journal in Kansas, regarding an article indicating that PVC water pipe poses a health threat to homeowners. In the News -- News clips on vinyl's uses and qualities once again represented the largest percentage of overall coverage, with numerous stories on vinyl flooring and siding maintenance, as well as seasonal articles featuring the use of vinyl in patio furniture and pond liners. Stories referencing the Vinyl Institute and VERCE made up the second largest segment of clips reviewed with a majority of articles covering the results of the R.W. Beck and Associates post-consumer recycling rate study and the Directory of Companies Manufacturing Products From Recycled Vinyl. The third largest area of coverage addressed vinyl and the environment, with emphasis on PVC in relation to chlorine and fires. Hotline Activity Remains Strong -- The VERCE hotline received 164 calls in June, with the majority of calls continuing to come from individuals requesting the Directory of Companies Manufacturing Products From Recycled Vinyl. Manufacturers neither producing vinyl scrap nor using vinyl scrap, distributors, sales representatives and the general public made up the second largest segment of callers, with consultants as the third largest segment. In addition to requests for the recycled products directory, other requests included the Vi's Environmental Fact Kit, "A World of Packaging Solutions" brochure, and recycling contacts from VERCE's database. CTL006687 -3- Legislative Tracking Update Ongoing monitoring continues. No new developments have occurred during this reporting period. Environmental Developments Greenpeace Canada appears to be in turmoil. According to reports in the Canadian press, two employees, who were recently laid off, are claiming that Greenpeace members' donations are not being allocated to its environmental programs. The stories also report that Greenpeace has cut or is planning to cut its nuclear, ozone, chlorine and Great Lakes water quality campaigns, and has laid off staff because of changing priorities and because donations have fallen. According to the articles, many of the group's campaigns will be handled by Greenpeace's international arm. (The Ottawa Citizen, June 9, 1993) European Developments The Environment Committee of the European Parliament adopted The Vertemati report, which is a directive on packaging and packaging waste. Amendment 298 of the report bans the use of packaging materials containing halogenated compounds, chlorinated components or chlorinated bleaching agents, which is understood to include PVC and other plastics. Updates will be released by the committee in the near future. The Association of Plastics Manufacturers in Europe (APME) has released its first set of "Eco-profiles," an assessment of the environmental impact of plastics and packaging -- from their production to their recovery or disposal. Data currently available focuses on use of energy and raw materials, emissions and waste generated in the process of production of polystyrene, polyethylene or polypropylene and olefin. Data on PVC and PET will be released at a later date. This document is available from the APME in Brussels, Avenue E. Van Nieuwenhuyse 4, Box 3, B-1160 Brussels. Telephone: (32-2) 675-32-97. The Dutch Foundation for Publicity Codes recently confirmed a judgement of the Publicity Code Commission that the Dutch Ministry for Environmental Control was unable to show that vinyl should be avoided for environmental reasons. This decision followed research which demonstrated that PVC has no effect on dioxins with municipal waste combustion. Ecobalance studies also showed PVC to be a very good product for packaging. Now, the Dutch Plastics Federation considers the voluntary agreement to reduce PVC in packaging to be out of date and also considers any publications that refer to PVC as an undesirable packaging material as misleading and undesirable. fl ff a It It ti CTL006688